Abstract:

Neuroscience teaching in the Psychology Degree integrates conceptually complex content, high terminological load, and spatial components. However, there is limited information on how students perceive these characteristics and which resources they consider most useful for their learning.

The aims of this study were:
(1) to analyze perceived difficulties in learning neuroanatomy and the usefulness of different instructional resources, and
(2) to examine the associations between neuroscience self-efficacy, spatial anxiety, and learning orientation.

Thirty-two undergraduate Psychology students from the University of Zaragoza participated in the study. A questionnaire was administered to assess perceived difficulties in neuroscience learning (access to materials, conceptual complexity, terminological memorization, and spatial relationships), perceived usefulness of different instructional resources (anatomical models, atlases, animations, lectures, and online resources), as well as psychological variables (neuroscience self-efficacy, spatial anxiety, and study orientation). Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted.

Memorization of neuroanatomical terminology was identified as the main source of difficulty (87.1%), followed by content complexity (48.4%) and understanding three-dimensional relationships between brain regions (41.9%). Regarding instructional resources, animations (83.9%), anatomical sections in different planes (83.9%), and anatomical models (80.6%) were rated as the most useful, whereas textbooks and recorded lectures were perceived as less useful. Additionally, spatial anxiety (imagery dimension) showed a negative correlation with learning orientation.

Overall, the results allow for the description of the main perceived difficulties in neuroscience learning among Psychology students, the differential evaluation of instructional resources, and the associations observed with relevant psychological variables. The findings provide useful information to guide the design of teaching strategies adjusted both to the cognitive demands of the content and to the motivational and emotional characteristics of students.

Acknowledgement:
This research was conducted within the framework of the University Teaching Innovation Group (GIDU) INNOBA, officially recognized by the University of Zaragoza, and was funded through the PIIDUZ_3 “De Referencia” grants (2025/5800 and 2025/5794).

Keywords:

Neuroscience learning, neuroanatomy learning, Spatial anxiety, Instructional resources.